Island



'(No Model.)

A. CALDWELL.

` GAS TUBE TIP. No. 566,136. Patented Aug. 18, 1896.

Z c s we gmnms PETERS co.. PNoYoLlTm.. wAsHINuToN. n. c.

UNITED STATESV PATENT OFFICE.

ALFRED CALDIVELL, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.

GAS-TU BE TIP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 566,136, dated August18, 1896.

Application iiled August 9, 1894. Serial No. 519,789. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern,.-

Be it known that I, ALFRED CALDWELL, of the city and county ofProvidence, in the State of Rhode Island, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Gas-Tube Tips; and I do hereby declare thefollowing specication, taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, forming a part of the same, to be a full, clear, and exactdescription thereof.

A flexible gas-tube is ordinarily provided with some form of tip forconnecting said tube to a supply-nipple 0r other connection. The tip nowcommonly employed for this purpose is a tip or socket composed wholly ofrubber. The advantage of using such a rubber tip is that it isself-adjustable to nipples or connections of varying sizes. It has beenfound in practice, however, that while these rubber tips possess thisadvantage of adjustability, they possess on the other hand certaindisadvantages which render them undesirable and in fact at timesactually unsafe. Thus such a rubber tip is liable in use to split orcrack, so as to cause leakage, and there have been many cases where sucha tip has given out suddenly and to such an extent as to cause the tipto fall bodily away from the nipple or connection, thereby permitting afull discharge of gas into the room or apartment. Such an accidentoccurring at night would be very likely to be attended with seriousresults. This tendency of the rubber tip to split and crack is very muchincreased by the fact that the rubber composing the same is exposed tothe action of the atmosphere, which in connection with the action of thegas causes the rubber to deteriorate with greater or less rapidity, and

,thereby lose its life or holding quality.

The object of the present invention is to provide a tip for gas-tubeswhich shall not only possess the advantage of being adjustable tovarying sizes of nipples or connections, but which shall also bepractically protected against the action of the atmosphere and be muchstronger and more durable than the rubber tips now commonly employed.

To that end the invention consists, primarily, in a tip composed of aninner tube of rubber and an outer surrounding tube of some comparativelyrigid material, such as metal,

binations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

Referring to the drawings, Figure lis aplan view of a tip embodying myimprovement. Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal section of the same. Fig.3 is a View, partly in section, showing the tip applied to a connection.Figs. 4, 5, and 6 are central longitudinal sections of .variousmodifications of my improved tip, and

Fig. 7 is a section on the line x no of Fig. 6.

In all the various forms shown in the drawings the tip is composed of arubber tube a and a surrounding tube Z9, (the latter tube beingpreferably of metal,) with a space or spaces c normally existing betweenthe outside of the inner tube and the inside of the outer tube.

In the preferred form of construction shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3 thisspace c is an annular space extending entirely around the rubber tube afor a portion of its length, this arrangement being secured byconstructing the outer tube b of different diameters at differentportions of its length. Thus said outer tube is made for a-portion ofits length of substantially the same interior diameteras the exteriordiameter of the rubber tube a, and so that for such portion of itslength the rubber tube will snugly fit the outer tube, leaving no spacebetween them, 4while the remainder of the outer tube is made of largerdiameter, and so as to leave an annular space between the interior ofsaid outer tube and the exterior of the inclosed rubber tube. Ascrew-coupling d is screwed into one end of the rubber tube, andpreferably the corresponding end of the outer tube is tapered or offrusto-conical form, as shown in Fig. 2. Preferably also the oppositeend of the outer tube is formed With an inwardly-turned annular flangeb', which will serve to prevent the rubber tube from being pulled out ofits inclosing tube in removing the tip from a nipple or connection.

Fig. 3 represents the tip of Fig. 1 applied to IOO a stop-cockconnection e. As will be seen, the space or chamber c permits anexpansion of that end of the rubber tube d, and thus enables it to beapplied to connections of varying size, including connections theexterior diameter of which is materially larger than the normal bore ofthe rubber tube.

The tip shown in Fig. 4 is a short tip, and in this form the space cextends practically the entire length of the rubber tube. In the tipshown in this iigure, also, the screw-coupling d is represented asformed integral with or attached to the outer tube b instead of beingsecured to the rubber tube.

The tip shown in Fig. 5 is substantially the' same as the tip shown inFigs. l and 2, except that the annular space cis formed by reducing theexterior diameter of the rubber tube a for a portion of its lengthinstead of increasing the interior dia-meter of the corre- -spondingportion of the outer tube, as in Figs.

l and 2.

In the form of tip shown in Figs. 6 and 7 a series of spaces c isprovided instead of a single annular space, as in the other forms. Thisseries of spaces is produced by forming the exterior of the rubber tubea with a series of corrugations extending lengthwise of said tube,thereby forming a series of chambers c and a Vseries of intermediateprojections c. Preferably the exterior diameter of the rubber tube a,measuring through two of the projections c', is substantially the samein this construction as the interior diameter of the outer tube, and sothat when the rubber tube is inserted in place the ends of theprojections will bear against the inside of the outer tube. There willthus be formed a series of spaces or chambers c, as shown in Fig. 7,which will serve to permit the expansion of the rubber tube in applyingthe tip to a nipple or connection. In the form shown in Fig. 6 thecorrugations and chambers are represented as extending practically theentire length of the rubber tube. This is not necessary, however, and ifdesired they may be arranged to extend only a portion of the length ofsaid tube. y

A tip constructed in any of the forms above described will be self-adj ustable and adapted for application to nipples or connections of varyingsizes, In addition to this, it will be seen that not only is the rubberportion of the tip practically protected from the action of theatmosphere, thereby greatly lessening the liability of the rubber tubeto split or crack, but when the tip is applied to a nipple or connectionthe rubber portion will be iirrnly clamped between the nipple on the oneside and the surrounding outer tube on the other, thus insuring agas-tight connection or joint, and practically preventing any injuriousleakage even if a split or crack should happen to occur in the rubbertube.

Vhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

l. A tip for gas-tubes comprising an inner tube of rubber and an outersurrounding tube 'of comparatively rigid material, with a space orchamber between the two tubes, said space or chamber extending to theextreme entrance end of said inner tube as, and for the purposespecified.

2. A tip for gas-tubes comprising an inner tube of rubber and an outersurrounding tube of comparatively rigid material, said inner and outertubes being, as to their exterior and interior diameters respectively,substantially the same for a portion of their length, but of differentdiameters during the remainder of their length, whereby a space orchamber will be formed between them, extending to the extreme entranceend of said inner tube substantially as described.

3. A tip for gas-tubes comprising an inner tube of rubber and an outersurrounding tube of comparatively rigid material, said inner tube beingof substantially the same exterior diameter throughout its cylindricalportion, and said outer tube being for a portion of its length of aninterior diameter substantially the same as the exterior diameter of theinner tube, and during the remainder of its length of a somewhat largerinterior diameter, whereby a space or chamber will be formed betweensaid tubes extending to the extreme entrance end of said inner tube,substantially as described.

4. A tip for gas-tubes comprising an inner tube of rubber and an outersurrounding tube of comparatively rigid material, the interior diameterof said outer tube being somewhat greater than the exterior diameter ofsaid inner tube at its entrance end, said outer tube being provided atone end with an inturned annular flange, substantially as described.

ALFRED CALDVELL.

Vitnesses NV. Il. THURsToN, S. J. MURPHY.

IOO

